


Ghost of Christmas Past

by ciaconnaa



Series: 12 Days of Irondad & Spideyson Christmas [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Gen, including breaking his back lol, tony will STILL do anything for peter and he is DEFINITELY still mad about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 14:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16893981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ciaconnaa/pseuds/ciaconnaa
Summary: It’s not the voices that Tony recognizes, it’s the name. Harley. He hasn’t heard that name in, what, five or six years? But as far as Tony’s concerned, the kid is still in Tennessee, there’s no way he’d be here in New York, at the exact same place they are....Right?or;Peter drags Tony to the Rockefeller Tree lighting and they run into a somewhat familiar family.





	Ghost of Christmas Past

Tony isn’t really a fan of New York’s tourist traps and the crowds they incite.

Empire State building. Times Square. Stark Expo. Yeah, he’ll admit it. Stark Expo is a helluva lot of people. He’s just...on the other side of things. He’s Mickey Mouse. Running the Disney World dungeon, if you will. If he were out in the crowd, he’d probably be a big grump about it.

But Peter wants to see the Rockefeller Tree lighting ceremony and even though it’s an awful tourist trap filled with lackluster celebrities singing the same Christmas bullshit they do every year it’s not like he can say _no._ Especially when he says he and Ben used to go every year.

So that’s where Tony finds himself. All bundled up in coats, scarves, and mittens, he and Peter brave the city’s early snowfall to see the stupid tree go _ping_ with lights.

And the kid is _stupid_ excited about it.

“Kid, please. You’re _vibrating.”_

Peter’s thousand watt smile could light up the tree itself. He bounces beside him as they move through the crowd, trying to find a spot worthy. “I can’t help it. I know it’s corny, but I love doing this. Thanks for taking me.”

Tony melts a little at that, his hand finding its place on top of Peter’s beanie, giving the soft cotton ball on top a gentle tug. “Yeah, yeah, anything for you kid.”

Peter bites his lip, trying not to laugh. “You don’t sound too happy about it.”

“I’m not,” and Peter busts out a true laugh at Tony’s deadpan expression. “But it is what it is.”

They keep moving through the crowd, Peter leading the way by holding on to his scarf, when Tony stops abruptly at the sound of something _familiar_ a little ways away.

“Harley, _hurry up.”_

“What’s the big - _Christ,_ Ariel, stop pulling on my scarf!”

It’s not the voices that Tony recognizes, it’s the _name._ Harley. He hasn’t heard that name in, what, five or six years? But as far as Tony’s concerned, the kid is still in Shitsville, Tennessee, there’s no way he’d be in New York at the dumb tree lighting the same time they are.

...Right?

“Mr. Stark?” Peter’s tugging on his sleeve. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” he answers, and it’s the truth. He is fine. He just wants to find this Harley person in the crowd. Just to be sure. “I just...I thought...someone I knew might be here.”

Peter’s tone brightens. “Oh, really?” he looks around, following whatever direction Tony turns his head. “What do they look like?”

That’s the thing, Tony has no idea. The kid’s hit puberty by now, he could be as tall as the damn tree itself. Maybe he’s still shorter than Peter. His voice might have dropped to the pits of hell. Maybe he grew his hair out like a hippie. How the fuck should he know?

But luckily, he hears the name again, and this time he sees who says it - some elementary school sized punk with a blonde braid and a puffy white coat. “Harley, can I sit on your shoulders?”

The kid that answers is tall. Taller than Peter. And he’s discovered what a decent haircut is. He’s got both hands stuffed into the pockets of a dark blue pea coat, and his neck wrapped in a comically large grey scarf. “Oh, I dunno,” he sighs dramatically. “What’s it worth to you?”

“I’ll tell you where mom hid the sugar cookies.”

“As if I haven’t already found them.”

“You haven’t.”

“....yeah, no, I haven’t. Deal. Hop on.”

Tony clears his throat. Then, as clear as he can without completely shouting,“...Keener?”

The pint-sized girl is halfway up Harley’s back when they both snap their heads toward him, searching the crowd.

Holy shit. Holy _shit._

It’s Harley Keener.

It takes him a moment, but Harley’s eyes finally fall on him, eyes going wide in recognition followed by a shit-eating grin. “Well, I’ll be damned. If it isn’t the town’s old mechanic.” He offers a little wave. “Hey, Tony.”

“Hey, kid.”

The girl climbs down just as Peter clings to him, still bouncing with the same excitement he’s had since they started walking here. He’s clearly waiting for an introduction, judging by the incessant poking to his shoulder. “Pete, this is Harley, and his sister...Dora the Explorer, was it?”

“Ariel,” she corrects before looking him up and down, sizing him up. “You’re the dude who blew up the town water tower, huh?”

“You betcha, little lady.”

Peter elbows him. “You blew up a _water tower_?”

Tony shrugs. “All in the name of justice. Plus it was five years ago, I’m sure they’ve fixed it by now.” He nods towards Harley. “What are you kids doing here? I thought you lived in Hell Pit, Tennessee.”

Harley narrows his eyes playfully while Tony listens to Peter murmur _Hell Pit?_ under his breath. “Oh, I still do. Though it’s much more tolerable since you’ve left,” and Tony smirks at the quip. “But we’re just here on vacation.”

“Martin surprised us with tickets as an early Christmas gift,” Ariel elaborates before she taps at her bare wrist. “Whatever happened to my first watch? Harley never told me.”

“Absolutely nothing, you got you original watch back and it was definitely not squashed by a oafish minion,” Tony says, tone bland. “Martin?”

“Stepdad,” Harley says, a soft smile on his face. “He and my mom got married last year.”

He really has missed a lot. But that’s what happens when you don’t keep up with people. “Yeah? You like him? Treat you kids okay? Let me know if you need a house call from Iron Man.”

Ariel pulls a face while Harley laughs. “Nah, Marty’s great. He’s a math teacher, he likes cars. Taught me how to drive that mustang you got me. And, how to punch,” he says, faking a punch in the air. “Instead of just giving me, you know, deadly weapons from the great Iron Man suit.”

Peter elbows him _again._ “You gave him a weapon?”

Tony jabs him back this time. “So? I gave you a _suit,”_ he mumbles, letting the word carry the greater meaning without giving away his identity. “So you’re happy?” he asks Harley.

“Yeah. Yeah, things are good.” Harley groans when Ariel clearly gets bored of the conversation and jumps on his back. He hoists her up higher, and she’s content to sit piggyback, arms wrapped loosely around his neck. “How about you?” he asks Tony, but his eyes flicker to Peter. “How’d you get stuck seeing the tree with this loser?”

Peter smiles, and Tony knows he’s doomed. “I came home one day after school a few years ago and Mr. Stark was just there, in my living room, ready to offer me an internship.” He rocks back and forth on his heels, looking far too proud of himself. The kid likes to make Tony seem as ridiculous as possible at all times. “Been working with him ever since. And now I just can’t seem to shake him.”

“Shake _me_ ?” Tony cries in disbelief, and Peter chuckles. “You’re the one that sticks to me like a _leech. You_ dragged _me_ here. _”_

“Aww, you love it. You’d be so lonely if I didn’t.”

“I’d have some peace and quiet, that’s what I’d have if you didn’t.”

“Seriously?” Harley breathes, cutting off their little tangent. He hoists Ariel up higher when she starts to slip. “Man, you gotta stop breaking into people’s houses.”

“He didn’t break in - wait, you broke into his house? Dude…”

“It was an emergency,” Tony sniffs. “I was cold and that poncho was _itchy.”_

They ignore his defense. Harley nods Peter’s way. “So, internship. You work together well? You like him? He treat you okay? Let me know if I need to kick Iron Man’s ass,” he says, mirroring Tony’s words from earlier. “He can be a bit bossy when he’s trying to run the show. Trust me, I know.”

Tony frowns, a retort on the tip of his tongue, but Peter stops him with a bump to his hip, still all smiles and glee. “Don’t worry. He’s the best.”

The frown is gone. He grins, swiping Peter’s hat clean off to muse his hair. “Can’t argue with that, can I?”

When Tony looks back over Harley is smiling, the same soft smile had when he mentioned Martin and his life back home. He’s barely recognizable; the past few years really did a number on him, but Tony still sees the same smartass kid that saved him all those years ago. He always felt a little bad that all he did was redo his garage and then _ghost_ him, as Peter might call it. But he’s turned out just fine. Better than fine, if Tony had to guess.

“Harley! Ariel! I got your hot chocolate!”

“Yes!” Ariel cheers, jumping off Harley’s back. The two siblings turn around to see an even taller man with two paper cups in his hand. Must be Martin. Ariel collides into him with a half hug before she snags her hot chocolate and takes a big sip. Tony hears Martin laugh out a _slow down_ as she chugs it.

“Been looking all over for you,” Martin says, handing Harley the other cup. He nods to Tony and Peter. “Who’s this? Friends of yours?” he extends a free hand, and Tony takes it, giving it a firm shake. “I’m Martin.”

It’s not often Tony runs into people who don’t recognize him. It’s kinda nice.

“Tony,” he greets. “And this is Peter. I had a job once down in Rose Hill a few years back. Ran into Harley.”

“Oh yeah?” Martin’s face lights up. “What kinda work do you do?”

He shrugs, looking down at Peter for a brief second. “This and that. I’m a mechanic.”

“Nice!” He pulls Harley close to him, giving the kid’s shoulder a few pats. Harley’s still all smiles. “This kid is a bit of a mechanic, too. We’ve been working on some salvaged bikes and I gotta tell you, kid’s been teaching _me_ a few things.”

Tony smirks. “Oh, I’m sure. Did the same to me. Bit of a smartass like that.”

_“Hey.”_

He ignores him. “Let me know if you need any parts. I’ve got good connections, I’m sure I can dig them up for you.” Tony says, gesturing to Harley with a _gimme_ motion. “Phone. Hand it over.”

Harley does, and Peter almost laughs at the grimace on Tony’s face when Harley puts an iPhone 5 in his palm. “Just call me if something comes up,” he mumbles, making a new contact and sending himself a text, to have Harley’s number. Just in case. “But it better be on your new phone, which I will be mailing to you ASAP.”

“Tony,” Harley whines, and Martin looks on, confused.

“I did a job for that Stark fellow, once,” he lies as an explanation, and Peter straight up _wheezes._ “Free phones whenever I want.”

Ariel’s done with her hot chocolate by now. She wipes her mouth of the excess whip cream. “I heard that Stark is kind of a jackass. That true?”

Harley laughs with Peter this time, while Martin gives her a playful tweak to her ear. “ _Mouth.”_ But there’s no anger in it.

“There might be some merit in that statement,” he admits, but he narrows his eyes at Ariel anyway. She sticks her tongue out in retaliation. “But he’d still give you all new Stark phones if I asked him.”

That shuts her up real quick.

“Well,” Martin says while awkwardly clapping his hands together. “On that real nice note from Ariel, I’m afraid we should probably get back to finding my wife. Lost her on the quest for some hot chocolate.”

Ariel steals a sip of Harley’s. “Worth it. Bye Tony! Bye Peter!”

Martin waves. “You and your son enjoy the tree!”

Tony doesn’t have time to correct them as Martin and Ariel slip through the crowd. Harley lingers, rocking back and forth on his heels, hands stuffed in the pockets of his coat. “We don’t have to like...hug it out or anything, right?”

“No, absolutely not,” he scoffs, but then he opens his arms and Harley grins, stepping into his embrace. They do a cliche guy hug with a few hearty pats to the back before they pull apart. The little shit has the nerve to pat _Tony’s_ head, just cause he’s so tall.

“Merry Christmas, Tony.”

“Back at ya, kiddo. If you ever come back to New York -”

“I’ll be sure to call someone way cooler.” He offers a two fingered salute to the both of them. “See ya around.” He gives Peter a wave. “Nice to meet you, Tony’s son.”

“Likewise!”

Tony gets shoved by a person here and there as the crowd ebbs and flows, but he doesn’t even blink until Harley is completely out of sight.

Peter’s voice snaps him out of it. “They seemed cool. You really think that guy didn’t realize you were Tony Stark?”

“Probably. Contrary to popular belief, I am not a household name.”

“Hmm. Not so sure about that, Mr. Mechanic.” A pause. “Why’d you blow up their water tower?”

“Um, because someone was trying to blow _Harley_ up first.”

“What!?”

“I haven’t given you all the juicy details about the whole Mandarin situation, have I?” and Peter shakes his head, vigorously. “Oh. Well. Maybe I’ll leave it to Rhodey, he tells it best. He got his hero moment saving the President and everything.” He taps his chin, thinking. “Then again, Pepper’s the one who actually killed the guy in the end…”

“Pepper killed the Mandarin!?” Peter says _way_ too loudly in a crowd of civilians. But luckily, no one is paying them any mind.

“Yeah. It was really violent.”

Peter whines. “Aww man. She won’t be back from Japan for another _week.”_ He starts to wilt, his energy finally fading, when he then pops back up like a daisy, an idea clearly written all over his face. “Can I ask Harley about it?”

“Harley wasn’t there for it all,” Tony explains, “And I’m not sure I like the idea of you two swapping phone numbers. I can already imagine the group chat hell you two would inevitably drag me into.”

“Aw, come on! You wouldn’t give his number to me? Your beloved _son?”_

Tony groans. “I knew you’d use that against me,” and Peter laughs.

“If I added Happy, would it make it worth it?”

There’s a thought. It’s always fun to annoy Happy. “Make it Happy _and_ Rhodey and I’ll consider it.”

Peter is _vibrating_ again, and Tony already feels his energy levels draining in response. The kid circles around him and tugs on the back of his coat. “Can I have a piggyback? I want to out-cute Ariel.”

“Sure. I love a herniated disc,” Tony says, but he kneels anyway. Peter jumps on and he’s mildly surprised the kid isn’t heavier.

“This is much better,” Peter says, wrapping his arms loosely around Tony’s shoulders. “I can see everything!”

“Kid,” Tony grunts when Peter wraps his legs around his waist. “If you wanted to see it up high we could have just used the suits.”

“Huh. I hadn’t thought of that. That’s a good idea. We should do that next year!”

“Next year? You’re gonna drag me here again next year?”

“No, you’re gonna go willingly.” Peter rests his chin on top of Tony’s head and hugs him tight. “Because I’m your _son_ and you _love me_.”

Well. He can’t argue with that.

**Author's Note:**

> if you read my other fics you'd know I've dedicated writing too much time to harley's sister, a character with no name or face!!!!! lmfao. I named her and I got ATTACHED so ofc one of these 12 fics was bound to have them. also I gave harley a nice stepdad!!!! *kim kardashian voice* it's what he deserves.
> 
> this was fun!!!!!! I'm having fun. let me know what ya think.


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